


Accustomed to Royalty

by august_the_real



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-14
Updated: 2015-01-14
Packaged: 2018-03-07 13:33:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3175026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/august_the_real/pseuds/august_the_real
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He was sitting in front of the control panel, as she knew he would be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Accustomed to Royalty

Accustomed to Royalty  
by august (mrsrosiebojangles@gmail.com

She couldn't believe it. She was hesitating entering. It was  
ridiculous. She was a Starship Captain. More than that, she was   
Kathryn Janeway. She had stared down the Viidians, she had . . .

This was ridiculous. She was *not* going to stand outside a room  
giving herself a pep talk. She took a deep breath and starting   
walking.

And strode straight into the holodeck door. She swore loudly, and then  
looked up and down the corridors to make sure no one had heard. She   
had forgotten that this holodeck door was temperamental. She stepped   
back and forward a few times before the sensors registered her. She   
preferred not to entertain the existential dilemma that comes about   
when machinery refuses to acknowledge your humanity.

Making a mental note to remind the repair crew to work on the door,  
she collected herself and this time successfully walked into the room.

He was sitting in front of the control panel, as she knew he would be.  
Scattered before him on the floor were several instruments that she  
was sure Engineering did not know was missing. Even though she knew   
what he was doing, seeing it in action made her a little sad all the   
same.

"Tom." She let him know that she was here.

He looked up at her, and then away again. Oh well, she thought, I  
deserved that.

"Tom." She said again, this time moving to sit down on the ground next  
to him.

"I'm just taking down the Captain Proton programme, Captain. After all  
the trouble it's caused, I imagine that you'd want it as far away from  
Voyager as possible."

She picked up one of the tools laying before her and spun it in her  
hands.

"I don't know, Tom. I liked Captain Proton. I wasn't too keen on  
Chaotica, but then I've never been one for balding men." She smiled as   
he shot a look at her to see if she was joking. He couldn't help   
himself, a grin broke out on his face. She had missed it, she admitted   
to herself.

"I knew that you would like this programme, Captain. I knew it."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Because it's so easy. The same reason I love it. There is good and  
bad, and no in-between. I love this world where good always triumphs.   
And bad is always wearing black."

"It is easy, isn't it?" She looked around at the empty holodeck,  
remembering the animation of Chaotica and the Devil's robot.

They sat in silence for a moment.

"Captain, I am sorry that we all got tied up in that programme. I  
can't help but feel-"

"-Oh nonsense, Tom. Christ, I'm just glad it was that and not Neelix's  
beach resort. Can you imagine what the photon life form would have   
thought of a planet perpetually in their swim suits?"

He didn't answer, but snorted in response and continued to tinker away  
at the panels.

"I wanted to thank you, Tom." She watched as his fingers flew across  
the control panels, making minor adjustments here and there.

"Oh?"

"We couldn't have sorted out this whole Aracnia mess without you.  
After the water planet, I wasn't sure . . ." Her voice faltered off,   
and he turned to face her.

"Captain, you may have a low opinion of me," he began, slightly  
offended, "but Voyager is all I have. Of course I would have helped.   
You could have put me under house arrest and I still would have wanted   
to pilot this big old heap of junk." He banged down on the floor   
affectionately.

"Oh Tom . . ."

"What must you think of me, to think that I wouldn't help?" He was  
sulking now, and it almost made her smile.

"I was worried about you. Because of the . . . the demotion."

"Ah." He shifted uncomfortably where he was sitting.

"No, don't do that. Don't pull away from me." She said, leaning over  
to take his hand.

"Look, I'm not going to lie to you and say that I agree with you. The  
brig time, it hurt my ego. But I'll bounce back, I've bounced back   
from bigger things before. And I'm not a 'Fleeter, not really. I've   
been playing it pretty straight and narrow here, but it doesn't mean   
that much to me. *Voyager* means something . . . but Starfleet? Not   
since I was seventeen. Ensign, Commander, Yeoman . . .it's all the   
same. I miss the extra rations, but I have other ways  
of getting them back."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." She smiled. She was trying to  
formulate a response to the rest of his confession when he continued.

"I'm not asking you to take back what you did."

"That's good Tom, because I can't. And I won't."

"I'm just asking you not to set impossible standards. Not to put  
yourself up for a fall every time." Hell, why not go for broke? If she   
was going to throw him in the brig again, why not get it all out?

"Tom, what kind of Captain would I be if I didn't aim for the best?  
Would you want me to compromise my decisions? To settle for something   
other than the best?"

"No." He said, glad that he could focus on the panel in front of him  
and not her consuming gaze. "But you can take it easier on yourself.   
Life doesn't have to be as clear as death rays and armies of evil, but   
it also doesn't have to e about making the right decision every time."   
He stopped and turned directly to her. "It can sometimes be just about   
life."

There was a moment's silence, when he saw the rank of crewman flash  
before his eyes. But then she reached out and touched his shoulder.

"How did you get so wise, Tom Paris?" Her voice was croaky, and she  
coughed to clear it up.

"The holodeck." He deadpanned. "Everything I have ever learnt has been  
from the holodeck." She laughed and slapped him arm gently. In a   
different time, or place, he may have construed it as something more.   
Here, he just smiled.

"So how about it?" She thumped the control panel in front of her,  
taking the easy way out of the conversation. "Will you leave this   
programme on-line?"

"No." He said, but then continued quickly, "I'm a little tired of it.  
Besides, I have been researching a new one that we can all enjoy."

"Oh really? What programme?" She tried to keep the trepidation out of  
her voice.

"It's based on a 1970's television show. It was called MASH. The  
characters reminded me a little of us; thrown into a situation beyond   
their control. There's enough characters for all of us."

"Who do I get to play?" She asked, standing to leave.

"The head nurse. She's really cool, Captain. Her name's . . Hotlips."  
Despite the fact that he had lowered his voice, and covered his mouth   
with his hand, the word seemed to resonate around the holodeck.

She raise an eyebrow. "Hotlips, Mr Paris?"

"Well, it's not. . . . it's not . . ." He faltered. "She's a major."  
He finally offered.

"Oh good." She drawled. "A demotion."

"It'd be a more comfortable costume than the Aracnia one." He  
shrugged, smiling a little at the recollection.

"Don't push it, Ensign." She said, putting on her best 'Mr Paris, I am  
*not* amused' voice.

"Yeah, I suppose being a major would be nothing compared to being the  
leader of the spider people." He drawled, as she walked to the door.

She reached the door and looked back at him. There were many things  
she should probably say, or do. She just smiled, and said over her   
shoulder, "I am accustomed to royalty now, Tom. Anything else would be   
beneath me."


End file.
